Dr. Matt Smith, the new superintendent at Arlington ISD, shared his vision for the upcoming school year at The Greater Arlington Chamber’s 14th Annual State of the District presented by Prince Lebanese Grill.
“Our students are our future workforce in this community and our future leaders,” Smith said. “An investment in their learning is an investment in the future of this community.”
As the new AISD superintendent, Smith said he’s focusing on building bridges to the success of Arlington students.
“When I think about bridges, I can’t help but think about how they represent the work we’ve done, the work we have before us and the work we have together in the future,” he said. “Bridges are connectors that bring two sides together. When traveling, bridges take us from where we were to where we want to go. They help us forge new pathways over sometimes treacherous obstacles underneath. Building a bridge takes time and vision; it requires a stable pace to build upon.”
In his first six months at AISD, Smith recognized the strong foundation already established in the district, making way for new bridges to form. Smith asked Justin Chappa, president of the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees, to highlight key components of Arlington ISD’s foundation: the 2014 bond, the 2019 bond and the voter approval tax rate election in 2020.
The 2014 bond brought important renovations to existing facilities; built new facilities like the Dan Diaper Career and Technical Center, multipurpose centers at six traditional high schools, the Dr. Marcelo Cavazos Center of Visual and Performing Arts, the AISD Athletics Center; introduced special programming like Corey and Jones Academies of Fine Arts and Dual Language; and enhanced pre-K programming.
The 2019 bond built upon the success of the 2014 bond, Chappa said. It revitalized aging campuses; built new elementary schools; established a junior high and high school in coordination with the programming at Corey and Jones; brought ADA accessible playgrounds to all 53 elementary schools; renovated and added on to Bailey Junior High and its football facilities; brought improvements to Arlington High School; and started construction on a new junior high. Chappa noted that the new junior high is set to open in 2025 and will be named after long-time soccer coach at Sam Houston High School, Joey Rodriguez.
“He left a legacy that’s really larger than life,” Chappa said.
The voter approval tax rate election placed on the 2020 ballot allowed the district to bring their finances to a point where they could raise teachers’ salaries. Compared to other DFW districts, Chappa noted that AISD is either the first, second or third highest paid district for teachers based on their tenure ranges, according to the United Educators Association.
Arlington ISD will receive a C rating from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the 2023-24 school year, Smith said. This rating comes after almost two years of no accountability ratings, new testing formats and new accountability ratings. STAAR advances for Arlington ISD include a 6% increase in Biology, 4% increases in English 2 and US History, improvements in the overall score for 54% of campuses and all seventh graders exceeded the state average in Approaches, Meets and Masters categories.
“I submit to you today that we are going to continue to make progress along the way, but our data is not as bleak as you may hear,” Smith said. “Are we content with a C rating from TEA? We are not, and we will improve. We believe in the power and possibilities of every student. We will be both proud of the work that has been done and relentless in our improvement efforts for the future.”
Smith challenged the audience to help AISD build the bridges needed to overcome future challenges by sharing the inspiring stories of Arlington students and teachers, advocating for public schools and joining the strategic planning efforts to continue building a bridge towards a stronger future.
“Thank you for the bridges that I see that have been created in Arlington ISD,” Smith said. “Those highlights that we covered today were made by you, our community and our leaders. Together, moving forward, I look forward to maintaining those bridges, to repairing some of those bridges and, together, building new bridges for our students. I believe the state of our district is strong, and with our community partners, we will make it even stronger because our Arlington ISD students deserve it.”
While it was Smith’s first State of the District, Smith started his role as superintendent on Jan. 30, 2024, after being unanimously selected by the Board of Trustees on Jan. 3. Previously, Smith served as the superintendent for Belton ISD, assistant superintendent at Leander ISD, executive director of secondary schools for Hillsboro School District in Oregon, and several principal positions in Arizona.
The Greater Arlington Chamber believes our economy and community are intrinsically linked, which is why the Chamber partners with Arlington ISD, the University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant County College District and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County to create a brighter future.
“We will have economic prosperity if we develop our future leaders and workforce and encourage our future innovators and entrepreneurs. The next generation will drive us forward and continue our ascent as the American Dream City,” Michael Jacobson, CEO & President at the Greater Arlington Chamber, said. “As the business community, our influence exponentially increases when we focus on targeted needs and work with our institutions to develop our future.”
The Chamber’s Partners in Education program (PIE) bridges the gap between the business and education communities. Going on its 19th year in partnership with AISD, PIE provides a multitude of opportunities for business and community leaders to connect with the future generation including practicum programs, an annual entrepreneurship contest, campus beautification projects, scholarships and more. For more information, contact Alicia Collins-Butler, Sr. Director of Education, Workforce & Community Development.
